Vani Gogna

About Me

I’m Vani and a passionate midwife turned doula! I’m from the USA, and moved to the UK after marrying my husband in 2017. We met in India where I was studying/practicing Midwifery (long story!)

We now live in Watford, Hertfordshire and are delighted to have welcomed our first little one at home in 2021 with our doula present.  Our doula was an integral part of our birthing journey and I have renewed passion to pass on the support I was given.  I also suffered with extensive breastfeeding difficulties and postpartum depression/anxiety which has sent me to further my skills and education so that I may support women better.

Please see my website londonbirthdoula.com for full list of services and packages

Antenatal Support Offered

• 2 Antenatal Sessions
  I draw upon my knowledge to provide judgement free support.. Some areas covered in our antenatal session can include:
  • ​Preparing for your birth
  • ​Birth physiology
  • Providing evidence based information
  • Navigating the maternity care system
  • Common interventions and their pros/cons
  • Formulating your birth preferences/plan
  • Breath work in birth
  • Birth biomechanics/positions in labor
  • Caring for you and your newborn postpartum
  • Breastfeeding
  • Alternative supports i.e. aromatherapy, homeopathy, massage etc.
• Pregnancy support (messaging and phones calls for the duration of your choice, providing evidence based information, tips, emotional support, discussion and exploring options and plans etc.)

Basic Birth Support Package Offered

• 2 antenatal sessions
• Your own copy of our antenatal handbook including, birth positions, breathing techniques, birth plan templates etc.
• Your own deck of our birth affirmation cards
• On-call from 10 days before your due date till 42 weeks
• Continuous emotional, physical, and practical support during labour and birth. I am committed to:​
  • Protecting your birth space
  • Advocating for you and your partner
  • Providing Emotional support and encouragement
  • Encouraging a partner if present
  • Suggest breathing techniques /birthing positions
  • Provide physical support such as massage etc.
  • Answering questions.
  • I draw upon 11 years of birth experience to bring knowledge, support, care and attention to each birth I attend. My aim is to encourage you to feel empowered and in control of your birthing experience.
• I stay till you are settled after the birth, will help you get comfortable, and will help with your first feed.
• 1 postnatal session (more can be arranged)
• Free breastfeeding support sessions, if breastfeeding,

Postpartum Support Offered

• Regular practical support at your home as you need
• Ayurvedic postpartum care planning and support
• Birth debriefs
• Postpartum massage
• Closing the bones ceremony

My journey towards supporting families through birth and the postpartum period began at a young age by attending births. This led me to enroll in a holistic midwifery degree. During my midwifery education, I practiced my clinicals in a rural village in India, our small team ran a birthing practice where we facilitated women from all over the world to give birth their way.

I traveled to Bali to meet Robin Lim who was awarded CNN hero of the year. I visited her birthing center Bhumi Sehat to experience and learn from her beautiful mission and model of care.

During my time as a midwife and a doula in India and the US I have learned to work and support in a variety of circumstances, some even without electricity and running water! But the beauty of birth is that no matter the situation, every birth is special and unique.

I have supported hospital and birth center births, home births, cesarean births, water births, lotus births, vbacs, and breech births.

The right personal care from your doula can make all the difference in helping achieve the birth experience you envisioned. In my experience, even when the birth and postpartum periods do not go as planned, you can still feel positive about your experience when you are informed, supported, and respected. Every woman deserves to feel capable, cared for, and empowered!

Since moving to London in 2017 I became a certified doula at BirthBliss Academy under Kicki Hansard who was awarded the title Doula of the year in 2009.  I am also a member of Doula UK, the largest Doula organization in the UK. I have completed a breastfeeding course with ABM.

Now that you know a little about me, I look forward to getting to know you and being able to provide the care you are looking for during this monumental time in your life!

Testimonials

“Vani transformed our birthing experience!  She has such a calming presence about her. She is extremely knowledgeable and we loved having her over for our antenatal appointments. Whether you’re having a home birth or giving birth at a hospital birth centre like we were, she’s experienced it all and knows a lot about protocols and what to expect. Having this inside information was so valuable to us and took away the unknowns and stresses with having a baby in a new place. Vani was so supportive in helping us create our birth plan. She was 100% our devoted advocate through our whole birthing experience. Vani gave us space when she sensed we needed it and was right there holding my hand and helping me breathe down my baby when the intense moments came. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful birth and we know we have Vani to thank for being there for us from the beginning. If you’re wondering if Vani’s the right person to have on your birth team, just know that SHE IS!” -Julia London

 “I hired Vani for antenatal support. She offers a doula-in-your-pocket service. She was available to me to answer any questions, provide information. She talked things through with me and provided so much emotional support and reassurance. She was super responsive and attentive. She’s a great listener and really cares about all of her clients and respects everyone’s individuality.”-Nadia

“Vani is an expert birth doula, she was so focused and attentive in caring for me and my husband during our labor.  From advocating for us, to setting up a beautiful birth space, to providing emotional reassurance and affirmations, massage, providing Information and taking the time to explain things, to being calm and positive. Vani had lots of little tricks to making us all more comfortable. Vani was amazing and an integral part of our positive birth experience.” -Braja

“Vani fulfilled all of our needs from start to finish. She was attentive and responsive. Antenatally Vani’s antenatal handbook is unique to her services, and was a fantastic tool to be able to access during our pregnancy and reference during our birth for birth positions etc.  She was great at providing information and being a sounding board for any decisions we made. Vani advocated for us so respectfully and ensured our birth space was protected. She also really put my husband at ease and was reassuring him the whole way which helped him focus on looking after me! She really cares so much for you and goes above and beyond. We highly recommend!”-Pallika

 “Vani came to my home to do a closing the bones ceremony. I felt like I was in a spa, Vani puts you at ease, you feel comfortable and can feel her healing care. It was 2 hours of massage, rebozo, and closing the bones. She takes the time to add all the extra touches to make you feel like you’re in a sap at home.” –Lila

“Vani was fantastic at protecting our birth space, and helping us communicate our desires with the staff at our hospital. She took the time to check in with me and my husband and re-explain/talk things through with us. She was always so calm and positive it gave my partner and I peace and positivity knowing she was protecting all of our wishes.”-Hannah

“Vani was an incredible support during my birth she never left my side, gave me encouraging words, and really advocated for me. She updated me, and talked things out with my partner. This was so important for him as he felt clued in and calm. We couldn’t have done it without her, she advocated for our desires and we got what we wanted!”- Penelope

“I signed up for Vani’s doula-in-your-pocket service. This was perfect for me and my anxiety during my pregnancy. She was available for me whenever I needed to talk things through, answer questions, provide evidence based research, give me positive helpful words of encouragement, and cheer me on/reassure me. She went above and beyond, and this service was super affordable. I felt educated and supported.” Priya

“We hired Vani as our birth doula. I LOVED Vani’s antenatal workbook that she’s created and printed for all of her clients. All the information she goes over is in this booklet, including visuals, exercises to reflect on how you’re feeling emotionally, places to take notes during midwife appointments etc. She cares so much about the families she supports. She’s invested in helping you achieve all of your birth goals.” -Stacey

“Vani showed me so much care postpartum. She was one of the few mothers I spoke wo who was genuinely free from any judgment. She listened to me attentively and advised  me according to my individual circumstances. I highly recommend her as a doula. Thank  you for your love and time Vani!” –Yogi

“I highly recommend Vani, She was my doula for my birth last year, she is so personable, she helped me feel empowered in my journey, gave me reassurance with any anxieties I had, and was a huge support system throughout my pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. She also helps reassure fathers and she helped me stick to my birth plan which I am immensely grateful for. P.S. she gives great massages!”
-Yugala

“Vani was very respectful and supportive of our religious and unique spiritual needs during our birth. Would highly recommend!” –Natasha Allen

“My desire was to have a water birth at home, but both my husband and I were nervous to not birth at a hospital. But, because we had Vani, she really made our home birth possible with her support. Because of her vast home birth experience, she put both of us at ease. She helped me to feel confident, have faith and trust. I felt safe and supported at home with Vani as our doula!” –Nadia Heintz

“Vani was amazing during my birth, before and after. I choose her pamper package and she delivered! From my emotional to physical needs, Vani supported me and my husband expertly at our hospital birth. She made sure my needs were met while mediating with the staff. Vani is expert at massage,  and thought of every little thing between her aromatherapy and massage tricks to breastfeeding help.” –Brenda Briant

“Dear Vani Its been 3 years since i gave birth to our precious daughter Bhagirathi. Your physical and emotional support during my pregnancy and motherhood was a wonderful experience and because of your expertise we look back to the birth in a positive way. We felt cared, we felt safe and felt heard in our needs. Its a memory we will always treasure! We believe you have found your calling in life and wish you all the best. Much love from us…” –Syama

“Soon as I found out I was pregnant I knew I wanted an intimate and special experience for my home birth. I had no idea what to expect and was anxious because my son’s father would not be there for the birth. He was undergoing treatment for cancer, and I had never felt more scared or alone. But thanks to Vani, my home birth was beautiful. Vani was gentle, supportive, kind, and so in tune with my needs. From morning until evening, she never tired and paid attention to every detail. I am so grateful to her for making my home birth my dream come true, for being there for me emotionally and physically at a time when I needed support more than ever. This is truly her calling and me and my son were so lucky to have her.” -Madhavi